PepsiCo, sexism and “diversity”

February 16, 2010

This is PepsiCo’s SoBe brand, showcasing the actress Ashley Greene and her “zero inhibitions” in a painted-on swimsuit, as part of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit extravaganza. What better way, after all, to promote Sobe’s “zero calorie” flavors than with a babe wearing zero clothes on your corporate website and on You Tube videos, which have attracted more than 500,000 views?

And then there is the photo below, from the page about Our Commitment to Diversity on the PepsiCo website, which goes on at some length about the company’s efforts to foster a workplace of caring and candor and where everyone is treated with respect. As best as I can tell, all the PepsiCo employees in this photo appear to fully clothed, although it’s possible that some wise guy in the back isn’t wearing pants.

The company says:

Diversity isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the right thing to do for our business. We’ve made it our commitment to make diversity and inclusion a way of life at PepsiCo….In fact, we view diversity as a key to our future.

And:

PepsiCo has been nationally recognized as one of the top places for women and minorities to work. We were one of the first companies to begin hiring minorities in professional positions, as far back as the 1940s. We were the first Fortune 500 company to have an African-American vice president.

The company also says that its

Multi-year strategic plans for diversity are developed with the same vigor and goal-setting process as other business issues.

Interestingly, PepsiCo apologized for its sexist advertising just last fall, according to Mashable, a website about social media. The company had launched an iPhone application for its AMP energy drink called “before you score,” with “score” meaning (to put it in the most subtle of terms) having a successful night with a woman. The company subsequently removed the application from the iPhone store.

So….here’s my question. Why would PepsiCo–a company with a female CEO, Indra Nooyi–now run a high-profile advertising campaign using a naked young woman to sell flavored water? Does that reflect its commitment to diversity? Or is it old-fashioned sexism?

Comments

Given this Sobe ad, balancing it out with their diversity statements and then adding in Pepsi’s recent, pretty great sounding ReFresh social venture campaign, I’d say the brand is undergoing major social responsibility growing pains. One department is likely not talking to the other, so missteps like this are bound to happen. With a female CEO, they are bound to be under the radar even more when it comes to the topic of “diversity.” On the surface, this looks like sexism, but I think they are getting lost between being hip/cutting edge/youth-oriented and presenting a consistent message on diversity/responsibility. It’s a good question to bring up – and the brand could be a great case study if they figure it out (but soon).

We can’t even begin to imagine the challenge inherent in the fact that their products may well have some negative affect on public health. (Sustainability is a journey, right?)

American news media covering this story undoubtedly also devoted some ink to “non-sexist” coverage of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue which features women in similar attire. Is the reaction to the Pepsi ad about sexism or is it prudishness?

There is a lot of this stuff, and more, on the Internet, which is why the best “filter” on a PC for a child is to have it located in the family room with the monitor turned outward so everyone can see it. The responsibility for dealing with inappropriate content for children lies with the parents. That’s probably an unrealistic expectation, but it is even more unrealistic to assume advertisers won’t give up using sex to sell to consumers.

And another thing, flavored water with the equivalent of 18 teaspoons of sugar per 12 oz (180 calories) does little good for your teeth or your weight.

It is easy for the news media to wring its hands about the Pepsi ads, but I don’t see them giving up the revenue that comes from the company for them.